Set of playing pieces

ABSTRACT

The present invention is concerned with various improvements in the game forming the subject of copending U.S. Pat. Application, Ser. No. 787,162, filed Dec. 26, 1968, in which the game described comprises a set of polygonal playing pieces similar in shape and in dimensions, each apex of each piece carrying a conventional value chosen from a plurality of possible values, the number of pieces of the set being such that all the possible combinations of said values are reproduced once and only once. According to one of these improvements, the playing pieces also carry a further conventional value in at least one additional point, known as site, intermediate between two of their apices. In one embodiment of the invention the pieces have the form of a regular trapezoid with the long base twice the length of the small base and the oblique sides, the site being located on the long base. In another embodiment the pieces are isosceles triangles with two equal sides twice the length/of of the third side and each having a site located thereon.

1451 Aug. 29, 1972 [541 SET OF PLAYING PIECES [72] Inventor: Marc Odier,85 Bd Exelmans, Paris l6e, France [22] Filed: June 22, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 47,969

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Delbert B. LoweAttorney-Young & Thompson [57] ABSTRACT The present invention isconcerned with various improvements in the game forming the subject ofcopending US. Pat. Application, Ser. No. 787,162, filed Dec. 26, 1968,in which the game described comprises a set of polygonal playing piecessimilar in shape and in dimensions, each apex of each piece carrying aconventional value chosen from a plurality of possible values, thenumber of pieces of the set being such that all the possiblecombinations of said values are reproduced once and only once. Accordingto one of these improvements, the playing pieces also carry a furtherconventional value in at least one additional point, known as site,intermediate between two of their apices. In one embodiment of theinvention the pieces have the form of a regular trapezoid with the longbase twice the length of the small base and the oblique sides, the sitebeing located on the long base. In another embodiment the pieces areisosceles triangles with two equal sides twice the length/of of thethird side and each having a site located thereon.

2Claims,3DrawingFigures SET OF PLAYING PIECES The present invention hasfor its objects various improvements in the game described in theco-pending U.S. Application, Ser. No. 787,162.

In that Patent Application, there has been described a game comprisingat least one set of polygonal playing pieces with N apices, all havingthe same dimensions and the same polygonal shape, each apex of eachpiece bearing, in a conventional form, a value taken from M possiblevalues arranged in a pre-determined conventional order, the N valuescarried by the N apices of a single piece defining a sequence to be readin a predetermined conventional direction of reading, and the number ofpieces of the set considered being just sufficient for all thecombinations of M values taken N by N to be reproduced once and onceonly by the whole of the sequences carried by the pieces of the saidset, in the said direction of reading and respecting the order of thesaid values.

The rule of the game consists of juxtaposing each piece with at leastone side common with respect to the pieces already laid down, in suchmanner that at least two identical values are located facing each other.

The improvement forming the object of the present invention consists ofproviding the arrangement of a conventional value in at least oneadditional point of at least one of the pieces, this additional point,known as a site, being located on one side of the piece between twoapices of this piece.

To this end, the present invention has for its object a game comprisingat least one set of pieces with N apices and N sides, identical in shapeand in dimensions, each piece carrying on each of its N apices and in atleast one point P, known as a site, a value taken from M possible valuesarranged following a pre-determined conventional order, each site of onepiece being arranged on one side of this latter, the distance on oneside of a piece separating two adjacent values being identical for allthe values of all the pieces, each piece thus carrying Q N P valuesdefining a sequence to be read in a given conventional direction ofreading, and the number of pieces of the set considered being justsufficient for all the combinations of M values taken Q by Q to bereproduced once and once only by all the sequences carried by the piecesof the said set, taken in the said direction of reading and respectingthe order of the said values.

This improvement permits the advantageous development of thepossibilities of the game described in the above-mentioned PatentApplication, while respecting the general rule of this latter, as hasbeen briefly recapitulated above.

The objects of the invention, and their characteristic features andadvantages, will be further brought out in the description which followsbelow, given by way of examples with reference to the accompanyingdiagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 discloses one form of construction according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a surface design obtained with a plurality of piecesaccording to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows an alternative form of the present invention.

In the co-pending. U.S. Pat. Application, Ser. No. 787,162, there hasbeen described a game composed of flat pieces of polygonal shape chosenwith N apices permitting the continuous covering of a surface, all thepieces of a game set having the same shape and the same dimensions, buteach piece being different from the others by conventional valuescarried by each apex of a piece and taken from M possible values. Thewhole set of playing pieces forms a complete logical series such thateach of the possible sequences of the M chosen conventional values takenN by N is obtained once and once only in this set of pieces.

By way of example, the above-mentioned Patent Application has moreparticularly described the case of a game composed of pieces in the formof equal equilateral triangles, the three apices of which each carry aconventional value chosen from four possible values which can berepresented by the figure symbols 1, 2, 3 and 4 (rather than 0, l, 2 and3), as is more particularly described in said Patent Application.

All the combinations of these four values taken three by three can beexpressed by 24 successions of three figures from 111 to 444. There arethus 24 pieces which are all different and amongst these 24 pieces thereexist:

four triple pieces each comprising three identical values;

12 double pieces each comprising two identical values;

eight single pieces each comprisingthree values different from eachother.

These eight single pieces may be divided into two sub-groups of fourpieces each, known here respectively as A and B. By giving each piecefrom the apex carrying the smallest numerical value and by reading thevalues of the other apices in the direct trigonometrical direction,Table I indicates the characteristic sequences of the four pieces A andthe four pieces B.

TABLE I Sub-Group A Sub-Group B According to a first improvement formingthe object of the present invention, there is chosen as the polygonalfigure for all the playing pieces a polygon enabling a surface to becompletely covered, and in addition such that a common unit, of lengthis present a whole number of times in the length of each side of thepolygon; this whole number should be small and may be equal to 1, 2 or3.

In other terms, the polygonal form for the pieces of a game according tothe invention is chosen so that each of its sides has a length equalto], 2 or 3 times a constant unit of length. This arrangement makes itpossible for example to consider the center point of a single sideformed by two units of length as the apex of an angle equal to which maybe termed a site, and to attribute to this center point or site one ofthe conventional values also distributed to the other apices of eachpiece.

FIG. 1 shows a first form of the invention in which each of the pieces24 is an isosceles trapezoid, the large base 25 of which is twice thelength of the small base 26 and twice the length of each oblique side27, 28. Each piece 24 has four apices 29, 30, 31, 32 (N 4), and a site33 (P l) in the center of the large base 25. The five apices and site(Q= N P) each carry a conventional value chosen for example from twopossible values 1 and 2 (M 2); all the combinations should be presentonce and once only. Table 11 indicates the difl'erent sequences of the32 pieces forming the game. Each piece is designated by orientating itslarge horizontal side upwards, starting from the lefthand apex of thislarge side and following the direct trigonometric direction.

TABLE 11 (1 (ll) (l4) According to the denomination adopted here, thepiece 24 shown in FIG. 1 is the piece 1221 1.

The whole of the 32 pieces thus mathematically defined permits thecontinuous covering of a surface, observing the agreement of the valuesfacing each other on all the apices and sites of the various juxtaposedpieces. The advantage of this type of game is due to the diversity ofthe assemblies, of which examples are given diagrammatically in FIG. 2without the indications of conventional values. In actual fact, whilestill observing the facing values on the apices or sites of thejuxtaposed pieces, a surface covering having an angular opening of 360can be obtained:

either by six pieces assembled together at the point 34 for example;

or by five pieces joined together at the point 35 for example;

or by four pieces joined together at the point 36 for example;

or by three pieces joined together for example at the point 37; v

or by two pieces joined together along the line 38 for example.

The variety of the assemblies which can be obtained while observing theconditions of proximity associated with the various values carried byeach apex or site, makes it possible to obtain games of patience orpuzzles forming geometric and/or emblematic outlines which may becomplex and may require either the correct juxtaposition of the 32pieces or the juxtaposition of a smaller number of pieces. Collectivegames similar to those described in the above-mentioned PatentApplication can also be obtained.

F IG. 3 illustrates a particular example of the other illustrated formof the invention. According to this example, each playing piece 40 is anisosceles triangle of which each large side 41 is twice the length ofthe small side 42. According to the invention, each piece carries fivevalues distributed on the one hand to the three apices;43, 44 45 and onthe other hand to two sites 46, 47 existing respectively in the centerof each large side 41. Juxtapositions of such pieces can thus beeffected, two small sides of two pieces being correctly juxtaposed witha single large side of a piece; strictly speaking, each piece will thushave an apex angle very close to 29.

If it is desired to be able to form a complete circle with twelve piecesjuxtaposed by their large sides, the apex angle should be very close to30. According to the present improvement, the playing pieces are giventhe form of isosceles triangles having the value of apex angle whichwill substantially satisfy the two preceding conditions, for example byadopting an apex angle value comprised between 29 and 30. All the piecespreferably have their three apices very slightly rounded so that thegeometric error deliberately introduced can in practice hardly be seen.

According to the invention, by means of this form of piece, it ispossible to multiply the juxtapositions forming emblematic or otheroutlines, while always observing the conditions of juxtaposition ofadjacent values of different pieces, and therefore the logic of thegame. In this example of application of the invention, there can bedefined by calculation 32 pieces of identical form, each carrying anoriginal sequence of five values each chosen from two possible values (N3, M 2, P= 2, Q 5

These 32 pieces correspond to the 32 combinations already specified inTable II.

Whether the playing pieces have the geometrical shapes which have beendescribed above or altematively shapes derived from the same data, inall cases juxtapositions may be effected with all or part of thesepieces. Individual forms of games are possible in the spirit of games ofpatience, or alternatively puzzles in which silhouettes proposed on oneor more game panels are to be reproduced, as has already been describedin the above-mentioned Patent Application.

Collective forms of game can also be obtained, as alternatives to thosealready described. In all cases, the fact according to the invention allthe possible combinations of pieces are present once and once only inthe game renders possible the development of a logic of the game whichmay be interesting in itself for its applications of an educationalnature, for the use of the game for the purposes of scientific tests orstudies, etc.

The supports which may be associated with the pieces of the game may beflat, in which case they are This is a piece having a shape anddimensions identical with the set pieces, but of which at least one apexand/or one site bears a particular sign having any value at the will ofthe player or players.

In all cases, in order to facilitate better understanding of the logicof the various forms of game obtained, it is preferred to indicate oneach piece, for example in the center of the face carrying the values,the denomination of the piece.

For each type of piece adopted according to the invention, the method ofmanufacture may be comparable with those previously described in theabove-mentioned Patent Application. In particular, the manufacture ofmoulded pieces of plastic may take account of 5 which a magnetic fillerhas been incorporated.

In all cases, these pieces are flat.

The claims of the invention for which an exclusive right of property orprivilege is claimed, are specified as follows:

1. A game comprising at least one set of identical pieces with N apicesand N sides, values taken from M possible values arranged at each one ofthe N apices of each piece as well as at each one of the sites Parranged along at least one of the sides of the piece, P being equal toat least one, such that the distance separating any two adjacent valuesof a piece is the same for all the pieces, each piece carrying Q N Pvalues defining a sequence having a predetermined reading order, and thenumber of pieces of said set being such that all the combinations of Mvalues taken Q by Q are reproduced once and only once by the sequencescarried by all the pieces of said set, according to said predeterminedreading order, said pieces having the form of a regular trapezoid, thesmall base and the oblique sides of which are equal, the large basehaving a length twice that of the small base and of the oblique sides,each piece having a site arranged in the center of the large base, andin Y which for M 2, said game comprises a set of 32 pieces, thesequences of which are all different.

2. A game comprising at least one set of identical pieces with N apicesand N sides, values taken from M possible values arranged at each one ofthe N apices of each piece as well as at each one of the sites Parranged along at least one of the sides of the piece, P being equal toat least one, such that the distance separating any two adjacent valuesof a piece is the same for. all the pieces, each piece carrying Q N Pvalues defining a sequence having a predetermined reading order, and

the number of pieces of said set being such that all the combinations ofM values takenQ by Q are reproduced once and only once by the sequencescarried by all the pieces of said set, according to said predeterminedreading order, said pieces being in the form of isosceles triangles, thetwo equal sides of which each have a length twice that of the thirdside, each piece having two sites arranged respectively in the center ofsaid equal sides, and in which for M 2, said game comprises 32 pieces,the sequences of which are all different.

1. A game comprising at least one set of identical pieces with N apicesand N sides, values taken from M possible values arranged at each one ofthe N apices of each piece as well as at each one of the sites Parranged along at least one of the sides of the piece, P being equal toat least one, such that the distance separating any two adjacent valuesof a piece is the same for all the pieceS, each piece carrying Q N + Pvalues defining a sequence having a predetermined reading order, and thenumber of pieces of said set being such that all the combinations of Mvalues taken Q by Q are reproduced once and only once by the sequencescarried by all the pieces of said set, according to said predeterminedreading order, said pieces having the form of a regular trapezoid, thesmall base and the oblique sides of which are equal, the large basehaving a length twice that of the small base and of the oblique sides,each piece having a site arranged in the center of the large base, andin which for M 2, said game comprises a set of 32 pieces, the sequencesof which are all different.
 2. A game comprising at least one set ofidentical pieces with N apices and N sides, values taken from M possiblevalues arranged at each one of the N apices of each piece as well as ateach one of the sites P arranged along at least one of the sides of thepiece, P being equal to at least one, such that the distance separatingany two adjacent values of a piece is the same for all the pieces, eachpiece carrying Q N + P values defining a sequence having a predeterminedreading order, and the number of pieces of said set being such that allthe combinations of M values taken Q by Q are reproduced once and onlyonce by the sequences carried by all the pieces of said set, accordingto said predetermined reading order, said pieces being in the form ofisosceles triangles, the two equal sides of which each have a lengthtwice that of the third side, each piece having two sites arrangedrespectively in the center of said equal sides, and in which for M 2,said game comprises 32 pieces, the sequences of which are all different.